The Platters’ version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (1958) transformed Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach’s 1933 show tune into a rock-era ballad. Lead singer Tony Williams’s tender, quavering vocal made the song a #1 pop hit. It’s become one of the most celebrated doo-wop ballads. (Later artists like Smokey Robinson cited the Platters version as an influence; Robinson’s Miracles would soon top the charts with their own romantic doo-wop hits.)
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